Following former President Donald Trump third indictment this year, half of the nation believes he used illegal or unconstitutional means to remain in power, according to a CBS News/YouGov poll.
"Half the nation believes Trump tried to stay in office beyond his term through illegal and unconstitutional means," according to the latest survey, which is the same figure handed back after a similar poll was conducted last summer.
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Half nation says Trump used illegal/unconstitutional means to try to stay in office — same as last summer
Most say indictments uphold rule of law + defend democracy
Most also think they are attempt to stop his campaign
More here: https://t.co/B7Uh6aHImV pic.twitter.com/900FYOhfS3
A majority of respondents (54%) said that if Trump was involved in an effort to overturn the 2020 election results, then they would consider that "undermining democracy."
Around 29% said he attempted to stay in office by legal means, while 51% said his attempts were unconstitutional, and 20% said he "did not plan to stay in office."
However, the poll also notes that a majority of United States residents (59%) believe the indictments against the former president are an attempt at "trying to stop" Trump's 2024 campaign, as he remains the front-runner for the GOP nomination by wide margins. Those figures are likely boosted by a majority share of Republicans, but the poll noted this group contains some Democrats, too, possibly seeing his campaign as a threat to democracy.
The poll does indicate that about a fifth of the nation is not taking party lines in either direction, comprising people who believe President Joe Biden won legitimately but also don't believe Trump acted illegally. Some respondents in this group voiced concerns that the charges are political, and only 4 in 10 of them said that if Trump did try to overturn the election, it would be undermining democracy.
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A 68% majority of Democrats say "Trump tried to overturn the presidential election," while just 38% of independents agree and only 9% of Republicans concur. Conversely, 71% of Republicans say the indictment is "politically motivated," while 41% of independents agree and 7% of Democrats
The survey sampled 2,145 U.S. adult residents between Aug. 2-4, and the margin of error is plus or minus 2.9 points.